'The more uninteresting the letter, the more useful it is to the typographer.' -- Piet Zwart
____
Who
'Dutch photographer, typographer, industrial designer and critic Piet Zwart was born 28 may 1885 in Zaandijk, the Netherlands. Piet Zwart's career in graphic design was launched in 1919 when he started as a draftsman for the architect Jan Wils, who was a member of the De Stijl-group. When Piet Zwart began to experiment with typography in the early 1920s, he was unaware of the terms and methods, the difference between lower- and uppercase. Working for the NKF made him realise how little he knew about printing. He learned the principles from an 18-year-old assistant in the small printing company where the adverts for NKF were printed.
'Zwart always referred to himself being a ‘typotekt’, a contraction of the words typographer and architect, as he built pages with type. The main proponents of Zwart's distinct style were strong diagonals, primary colours, use of scale, varying typefaces, and careful asymmetry, rejecting the conventional symmetry around a fixed central axis. At the forefront of his organization of these elements was function. Constructing readable pages was a matter of ideology. He wanted to free the reader from the dull typography of the past by accentuating words in his text.
'As working with photographic images became increasingly realizable, Zwart embraced the use in his compositions. This created a tension between the two-dimensional type and the three-dimensional image. He first integrated images in his work in 1926. He presented photographs with high contrast, as negative images, overprinted with coloured inks and cropped into geometric shapes. Meanwhile Zwart had been fired from the Rotterdam Academy of Fine Arts in 1933, after he had been quite explicit about the redevelopment of art education. His progressive ideas had been closely linked to the innovative methods and objectives of the Bauhaus School in Dessau where he was asked to host a number of lessons in 1929.
'Piet Zwart was not an easy man, he was known for his indiscretion. He worked like a madman. The light did not go out before three o’clock at night. He barely went on vacation and spent most of his time at his desk. He introduced high standards for himself and fought all his life against the baroque tendency in himself he so much detested as a functionalist.
'All work comes to an end in July 1942 when he is arrested by German soldiers. Zwart, along with 800 other prominents, is being held hostage. After the war, when being released, he mainly focussed on industrial design. Piet Zwart died at the age of 92 in 1977. His versatility and his influence on present-day designers led the Association of Dutch Designers to award him the title of ‘Designer of the Century’ in 2000.' -- iconographics.com
________
Where else
Piet Zwart Institute, Rotterdam
Piet Zwart, Form Engineer
Piet Zwart @ inconographics.com
Books of or about Piet Zwart
Piet Zwart set on Flickr
Slideshow: Piet Zwart Collection @ Design Observer
____
Reels
An introduction to Piet Zwart
Sample: Piet Zwart's 'Meermanno'
Sample: Piet Zwart's 'het Boek van PTT Typography'
Hymn played on an organ designed by Piet Zwart
_______
Side note
'Piet Zwart was the first to design a kitchen for mass production. It consisted of standardized elements that could be mounted in different ways so that customers could combine them as they wished. In 1938, after three years of research, his Bruynzeel-kitchen was produced. It was highly progressive for its time.' -- iconographics.com
'Among the few I have indicated, is there no dynamic man of action, the rebel who will help determine the aspect of the collective expression of tomorrow? Ponder this question and know that to make beautiful creations for the sake of their aesthetic value will have no social significance tomorrow, will be non-sensical self-gratification. Every era contains the conditions for providing a rebel.' -- Piet Zwart
____
Show
----
*
p.s. Hey. So, the following statement is more for the readership of the blog than for the d.l.s. About 2 1/2 years ago, I did a post here called '13 unlucky porn stars' in which, using my usual finding and cutting and pasting technique, I gathered information I had found about some porn stars who had seemed to have had very unlucky lives in different ways. Yesterday, it was brought to my attention that the information I had posted about a porn star named Devan Renfro was completely false, and that some gossip website has reposted the misinformation using the fact it appeared here as a sign of its veracity. I immediately removed the entry and replaced it with a statement noting that I had unknowingly repeated a falsehood, and I would like to repeat here and now that the original, now deleted and refuted information about Devon Renfro included in that post was entirely incorrect, and the fact that it appeared my blog should not in any way be considered a sign of its believability. ** Allesfliesst, A teach-in sounds good. Yeah, the addresses match, so I guess maybe your postman was the problem. I guess I'l just send it again and hope the doofus isn't delivering mail on the next occasion. 'Hamlet' in seven minutes, eh? That should be interesting, ha ha. I love short. ** _Black_Acrylic, Hi, Ben. Hope you enjoyed it. ** Jax, Howdy. Wow, I can't think of a single time that a TV show made me cry, although it must have happened. Everyone, a question to everyone from Jax: 'Last TV character to make you cry guys? Tony Soprano? Bubbles from 'The Wire'? I almost cried at Gemma from 'Sons of Anarchy' last week – not when she got raped by the White Supremacists, but when she and the baby sat with the cop outside the hospital, just in silence. A very human moment.' Thoughts, answers please? If 'Sons of Anarchy' is on here, it's on some cable channel I don't get. I finally saw a good daylight photo of Tahir Square today, and, yeah, I can see the roundabout thing quite clearly now. Obviously, total luck to you on the Radio Lab thing. Sounds pretty interesting. I love how productive you're being right now. I tried to look at that Authononmy site yesterday, but my browser couldn't handle it. I will today since it's cooperating with me so far. Bon day! ** David Ehrenstein, Hey. Yeah, exactly on Muslims being the new Communists vis a vis America. That's good. Here's an imbd news item I found about Christohe's new film. It tells you the basics. Oh, yeah, RIP: Maria Schneider. What strange one she was. ** Pilgarlic, Oh, right, I remember Crews in 'The Indian Runner'. He seems to be one of those writers more beloved by musicians than by filmmakers. There was that Lydia Lunch helmed band called Harry Crews, and I think Crews is Thurston Moore's favorite fiction writer, or he was at one point. Go for it, like I said, on the graphic front. For every slowpoke Charles Burns there are probably ten rat-a-tat types. ** Nick, Hey, Nick! Thanks. Yeah, that Moe in the oven bit is way up there. Exciting about your new songs! The descriptions you posted and stuff are great! Excellent news! ** Alan. Hey. Yeah, the Paris Review thing is crazy. Oh, good, today I can use/pass along your link. Thanks for reposting it! Everyone, Alan highly recommends reading a piece about the current situation in Egypt called 'Why Egypt 2011 Is Not Iran 1979', and it's right here. ** Math, Reunion city, Christ. It must be so much easier to like stuff like The Icicle Works out of its original context when authenticity and commercialism aren't the factors they were. I don't think The Teardrop Explodes are condemned to pasthood, though. I think Julian Cope was a really good artist back then too, and I still listen to them and get a freshness. Hope the City Light shebang was fun. ** Sypha, Kenneth Grant Day would be superb, of course, if that ends up being of interest to do. Thanks for offering! Yeah, the last Zion attack scene was cool. ** Jon Reiss, Hi, Jon. Nice to see you. 'Animal Factory', no, I don't think I've seen it. Hm, I'll look for it and for 'Steel Toes'. Thanks! I've always had the same agent, so, ... yeah. Like I said, he's a bit of rejection-heavy guy, at least when it comes to writers I like, ha ha. Justin Taylor's great, right? He can definitely talk up an amazing storm. Don't let envy get imbedded. Everybody enters the starting gate at a different point in time, and once you're there, the whens don't matter anymore, speaking as a guy who didn't get there as a novelist until my late 30s. Thanks for the Nash link. I'll read it today. I love hearing Richard talk. He's another great talker. ** J. Shamama, Jack! Holy shit, hey, how cool to have you back for at least a moment! How are you? I was really looking forward to seeing you at Moe's, and it so sucks that money got in the way. Do you miss Paris? Probably not, right, ha ha? Yeah, thanks a lot for saying hi. I really hope I get to see you somewhere at some point asap. Take care! ** Sweettomb, Hey, Trinie! That is so fucking awesome about Two Dollar Radio! Wow, that's one of my very, very favorite presses! They do such excellent books, and, yeah, that's just fantastic news! Let me ... Everyone, the incredibly awesome writer Trinie Dalton, whose first book 'Wide Eyed' I am very proud to call a Little House on the Bowery title, has a new book coming out from the great press Two Dollar Radio next January called 'Baby Geisha', and here's an announcement and q&a about that. Mark your calendars because the book is going to be totally killer. So cool! Yeah, I was supposed to be in LA, and money problems prevented the trip, which sucks on infinite levels, and not seeing you and Matt is in the very upper tier of that infinity. I'm trying to get there in late March for a visit if I can, and I can't wait to see you guys when I do. Lots of love. ** Heliotrope, Hey, Mark! Thanks, man, about the Paris Review thing. Yeah, it's sweet. Oh, crap, on the health stuff with you guys. I'm so glad that J. is on the mend, and, yes, as others here have already said, get yourself to that clinic or a doctor about that ear, okay? Orders from Paris. Just do it. It's important! Dude, I want to hear you play those Jack Casady bass lines. Promise me. With a headband in place too. I like bluegrass, I just don't know that much about the genre for no good reason whatsoever. Miss you, man. Wish my LA plans had worked out so I could have nagged you about the ear thing and seen you plunking away in person and as I type. Soon, though. Lots 'o love! ** The Dreadful Flying Glove, Oh, that's Jordan Young. I love Jordan Young. I have almost all of his videos back in LA. I sat behind him in a movie theater once about a year after he'd retired from porn and about a month after he'd retired from escorting. He did not disappoint in person whatsoever. I knew someone who was friendly with him, Apparently, quite a smart and interesting cookie. Last I heard, which is years ago now, he was a very successful graphic designer. Anyway, Jordan Young, absolutely, high five! I'm glad you're not a Bowles character yet. Paul Bowles, I mean. A Jane Bowles character wouldn't be so bad. ** Bill, Hey. Yeah, I'll still be at the Recollets this summer. I can be here for two more years thanks to a special arrangement. Hopefully, I won't be here that long, yikes, but I'll be here for quite a while. Let me know when's a good strategic time to make Recollets queries and schmooze on your behalf. ** Zack, Oh, right, you would be in the middle of that much discussed snow storm, wouldn't you? Good luck on your venturing out today. I did ask Yury. He recommends you take Ginseng or Ginseng Root during the day and, if you need it, Valerian Root at night. That's his regimen, and he's prone to depressions, and he says it definitely makes a difference, but that you should give it a bit of time to start taking full effect. No haircut yet. I have to wait for Yury's next day off, which means Sunday, I guess. 5'4" and buff is the classic porn star body. It seems like they're always 5'4" and usually buff. Well, not buff in the case of the porn stars I like. 5'4" and wispy. ** Laurabeth, Hi, Laura! My middle name is Dennis, actually. My first name is the mystery, ha ha. Cool purchases. I stand behind all of them, even 'Eat When You Feel Sad', which is only a LHotB title in my dreams. You doing good, I hope? Much love to you too, my friend. ** Dandysweets, Hey! You good? ** Empty Frame, Thanks, man. Yeah, maybe I'll get to be all polished and witty in the PR interview since they are extremely edited down to the highlights, and my speaking voice definitely could use some polish. Don't know when it's coming out yet. The interview is happening in March and April. I'll let you know when I know. Oh, ha ha, I'm sure you're right about the skeleton gift being an homage. Don't worry. I was really stretching to find sinister undertones. ** Ken Baumann, Hey, maestro! Yeah, TPR, nice, right? I'm official now or something. New novel started? Excellence! I've got this little nagging jones to start a new one, but I'm holding off because I need to get the 'Swarm' voice completely out of my head first. ** Shannon, Hi, Shannon! Great to see you, naturally! Thanks about the PR thing. I'm strangely giddy about it. So glad to hear that sickness has finally gotten completely bored of your body. Yay, about your submission acceptances! Let me know if any of them are viewable online. Nicest of days to you, pal! ** Steevee, Oh, cool, about the Boonmee review. I would think the film will reach much further into America than his work has before. It sure did over here. I'm still waiting for subtitles to be added so I can see it. ** Bollo, Not sure yet when the PR interview will come out. I'll let you know, thanks! I've only heard a bit of Hype Williams. I liked it, and I'm definitely going to get a lot more after the Invisible Jukebox thing. Hm, not sure if the 'Muerte #2' 12" is still in print or not. I think it still gets sold at our shows when there are merch stands. I'll find out if it's available and how to get it, if it is. I'll see if I can query Scott about the catalog. He left France and is living in Canada now, so I'm not as in touch with him. But I'll find out. ** JoeM, Hey, Joe. Yeah, I'm hoping that Ridley Scott's plan to do a new 'Alien' means he knows that something's been missing from his work and he wants to go back to a hot spot and start again. We will see. Yeah, Paris Review interviews are almost always really good and even kind of definitive. Gulp. ** Andrew, Maybe they'll have that drink in the anime and general Japanophile shops here. They have really great shops of that type here, and I'm overdue. ** L@rstonovich, Hey to you, mighty L! ** Colin, Hi, C. Oh, I'm glad 'Jerk' went well. Nice, thank you! Jonathan was stressing a bit in advance about that post-show discussion because of that guy you mentioned who I think he said was some kind of expert on serial killers or something? Strange choice to have him there, but whatever. The guy who interviewed me in advance for a newspaper in Edinburgh -- the Herald, maybe? -- re: 'Jerk' kept asking me about my responsibility to the real victims and whether humor was appropriate and all that kind of stuff. It was a bit weird. Anyway, thanks a lot for seeing it and for giving me the lowdown, man. ** Misanthrope, Hey. Yeah, let's hope they get what they want and not what other countries want for them, basically, you know? No way you have to pay taxes on a yearly income like that, right? Do you even need to file when your income is that low? A library job ... well, why not, right? Library people won't even know who I am, don't worry. They'll think you meant either Douglas Coupland or Bernard Cooper, either of whose names won't lose you your job. Don't know when the Paris Review will be out. Maybe when my novel's out? I'm not sure if they time things that way or not. ** Inthemostpeculiarway, Hi. They do actually still make Necco Wafers, it turns out. I did like the Blondie song. It sounded like Blondie. That's a good thing. There's no good way to hang posters without wrecking them. I've tried everything. And they always look crappy when you frame them under glass, and that's the only safe-ish bet. That was a quick visit from your friend. What was that about? She just needed a quick hit of your presence and existence to be able to continue with her day? That's kind of sweet. Is your stalker still being invisible, I hope? Another big Stephen King movie? Wow. I have to say that even when movies based on King stories or novels are really shitty, there's always something watchable about them. It's strange. Did you see the most recent 'Final Destination' movie? I didn't, but there seems to be a cult of people who really liked it, and it was kind of a hit here in France. I hope they bring back Devon Sawa for the new ones. Or maybe not, on second thought. That is totally weird about the Wham-O movie deal thing, but ... no, no buts about it, it's weird. My day was a whole lot of nothing. It started warming up here a bit, and that was good. But did I take advantage of that? No, not particularly. I was in the room for most of the day doing this and that. I had to send d.l. Chris Cochrane the final edit version of the text for 'Them' because the 'Them' soundtrack album is going to be put out by John Zorn's label, and the package is going to have pictures and the text and maybe a DVD of the show. So, I did the edit and sent it. I spent some time figuring out how and when the Paris Review interview can happen, and I guess the interviewer will come over here in mid-March and maybe see 'TIHYWD" and the premiere of 'Last Spring, a Prequel' in Brest and interview me there and then in Paris too. Trying to figure that out took some time. I worked a bit. I made a blog post. I had a coffee with Oscar B, who just got back from the opening of her art show London, and we caught up, and we made vague plans for today/ tonight because today is her birthday! It's also my sister's birthday, and I have to remember to call her. Hm, it was just kind of a nice enough but not very interesting day in terms of recounting it, I'm afraid. But with the birthday today and all, I bet I'll sound better tomorrow. How was Friday, man? ** Creative Massacre, I guess the KFC biscuits are more like reminders of what biscuits can be, technically. Dude, awesome McD pictures, and I have rarely been happier that I'm vegetarian than I was when I saw them. Everyone, if you dare, Creative Massacre has deconstructed McDonalds cuisine on camera, and the ugly if lustrously documented truth is here. Really cool tattoo ideas, definitely! ** Postitbreakup, Yes, the Wii plus some good old ingenuity is the answer to all of our problems, clearly. Thanks a bunch about the Paris Review thing. Oh, the pressure, ha ha, but seriously, oh, the pressure. ** Brendan, Hey, pal! Good, good, good on the show. I'll let my imagination run wild. Vegas, you lucky dog! The cheap buffets! Sigh. Watch that corny Strip pirate ship take-over, sinking show for me, okay? I hope I'll be in LA in late March. I'm trying for that. We'll see. ** Paul Curran, Thanks, Paul! ** Alexp336, Well, I caught you today, thank goodness. Are you still doing a France trip at some point in the near future? Michael Cunningham is a really super nice guy too. A real gentleman, that Michael. You have a good one too, man. ** Done. The post: When I saw the big Mondrian/De Stijl show here in Paris recently, I was reminded of the great and hugely influential De Stijlian 'typotech' Piet Zwart , whose work I was kind of obsessed with for a while, and, naturally, I decided to share my ... memory, interest, whatever. There you go. See you tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment